2014 is already gone and we've marched into the new year quite a while ago. January is always a month of previous 365 days' summary. What exactly do we tend to sum up? Our lives or maybe others? Well, both.
We make our own resolutions, promise ourselves to work out more, eat healthier, be more organized, travel to unknown places, buy a house or have a baby. Impressive variety. The only question is what or who do we do it for? Is it some kind of self-motivation thing? Or maybe we simply challange ourselves so we could be all boastful and make others fel tiny in comparison to ou accomplishments?
That's the point when the whole human nature qustion pops up again. Assuming tht people are naturally kind, loving and caring - so generally good - making resolutions would be definitely a stimulant, an incentive to reach the peek of self-improvement. And that'd be the more optimistic approach. However, if people are natural egoists and self-centered creatures, pride seems much more reasonable explanation for this peculiarity.
So, we look back at our achievements and failures every single year and we juge ourselves, perhaps reward ourselves or, possibly much more rarely, punish ourselves for all the mistakes we made. Is it just us that we grade though? Not realy, no. Who do we love to judge more than ourselves? Celebrities.
Golden Globes, The Oscars, People's Choice Awards, etc. They're all being given away at the beginning of the year. Why? Well, when's the better time to tell someone 'you did an amazing job' than at the beginning of the New Year? It's boosting an encouraging. On the other hand, it's also the perfect moment to say 'you really sucked' or 'you could have done better' to the losers - again, it's a kind of motivation that's supposed to push them harder to achieving their goal within the next 365 days. As long as they don't take it the other way round and find this sickly reversed motivational tactic too hurtful and give up.
Why do we mae such resolutions then and why do we judge ourselvs in quiet and others basically by shouting it out? Do we really need this? It's said not to expect anything from others not to be disappointed with them later. Considering that, the judgement seems quite hypocritical and making expectations for ourselves at the very beginning of each year puts us in a kind of escape game. Because it's different if somebody disappoints you and different if we disappoint ourselves.
We make our own resolutions, promise ourselves to work out more, eat healthier, be more organized, travel to unknown places, buy a house or have a baby. Impressive variety. The only question is what or who do we do it for? Is it some kind of self-motivation thing? Or maybe we simply challange ourselves so we could be all boastful and make others fel tiny in comparison to ou accomplishments?
That's the point when the whole human nature qustion pops up again. Assuming tht people are naturally kind, loving and caring - so generally good - making resolutions would be definitely a stimulant, an incentive to reach the peek of self-improvement. And that'd be the more optimistic approach. However, if people are natural egoists and self-centered creatures, pride seems much more reasonable explanation for this peculiarity.
So, we look back at our achievements and failures every single year and we juge ourselves, perhaps reward ourselves or, possibly much more rarely, punish ourselves for all the mistakes we made. Is it just us that we grade though? Not realy, no. Who do we love to judge more than ourselves? Celebrities.
Golden Globes, The Oscars, People's Choice Awards, etc. They're all being given away at the beginning of the year. Why? Well, when's the better time to tell someone 'you did an amazing job' than at the beginning of the New Year? It's boosting an encouraging. On the other hand, it's also the perfect moment to say 'you really sucked' or 'you could have done better' to the losers - again, it's a kind of motivation that's supposed to push them harder to achieving their goal within the next 365 days. As long as they don't take it the other way round and find this sickly reversed motivational tactic too hurtful and give up.
Why do we mae such resolutions then and why do we judge ourselvs in quiet and others basically by shouting it out? Do we really need this? It's said not to expect anything from others not to be disappointed with them later. Considering that, the judgement seems quite hypocritical and making expectations for ourselves at the very beginning of each year puts us in a kind of escape game. Because it's different if somebody disappoints you and different if we disappoint ourselves.